Involving estimates and hard number crunching to get the measurements or budget correct, these careers need someone who can take complex scenarios and solve them with relative ease. This means that at no cost to you, I will receive a commission if you purchase through my link. Sign up for my course! However, there are always a number of people who are convinced they will never find a job in architecture and often wonder if they should just give up. The idea of being a professional student is certainly appealing, but it does not help your job search. I receive a lot of emails throughout the week, most are encouraging and positive. However I’m pretty worried because although I’m good at art, math and am interested in architecture, I don’t think that I’m very creative at all. Luckily the headache projects get quickly replaced with new projects, and looking back, all of the frustrations are usually forgotten in time. It focuses around understanding, and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public. It is actually illegal in the United States to call yourself an Architect, until you have met all the requirements and passed the Architect Registration Exam. Being an Architect is just a different lifestyle. Adding more negativity around the subject doesn’t help anyone or anything. Thanks to Ayn Rand, many people (outside of the profession) naturally have a love for the image of an Architect. It’s definitely not a profession for everyone or more accurately everyone who thinks they should be an Architect. We can become so focused on "just find a job" that we mistakenly get into a position where we are unproductive and unhappy. Architecture compares terribly in a cost benefit analysis with other professions. My friend Doug Patt has created The Architect's Academy for people who are interested in learning more about architecture, how to design, build models, write like an architect, and many other architecture related topics. Most architecture graduates spend their entire careers simply implementing the design decisions of others. You may have a strong interest and show promise in mathematics so careers such as an estimator, engineer (physical, nuclear, civil), building planner, banker, drafts person or urban developer may be a great choice. Before you can choose the right career, you must learn about yourself. I write to help Architecture Students, ARE Candidates and Young Architecture Professionals be more successful at school, work and life! According to the Salary and Career Survey, our readers are predominantly white (83%) and male (95%), with an average age of 50. A lot depends on the job scope, the work environment, the organization, and other factors. Taking the time to examine and discover your strengths, talents, and abilities will give you greater confidence and go a long way to helping you land your next position. Good Architects become obsessive, systematic, and methodical with how they craft a set of construction drawings. The positive side to this is that a lot of great learning takes place executing others designs. Usually it is accompanied by almost zero work experience despite more than ten summers of free time. I do believe that applying through job posts can yield excellent results. Your values, interests, soft skills, and aptitudes, in combination with your personality type, make some occupations a good fit for you and others completely inappropriate. Try asking yourself a series of questions: What is your greatest professional skill? Architects are often low earning professionals, especially in their early profession… Privacy Policy   |   Affiliate Disclaimer    |   Terms and Conditions    |   Cookies Policy    Accessibility Statement | California Privacy Notice | Contact, 5 Reasons You Will Never Find An Architecture Job. These are all viable paths within the architecture profession but no one is going to figure it out for you. I don't care how you get it: internships, volunteer work, working for practically nothing, etc. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. The harsh reality of becoming an architect is that you spend many years in college being your own Starchitect (Star Architect) in your imaginary academic bubble. The economic collapse resulted in my essentially being retired at age 50 with no benefits. Find out more about the average architect salary and learn where the best-paying metropolitan areas are for a architect across the country. I recommend products and services to help you accomplish your goals and simply get the job done. Thanks for reading, see also my posts on: Where To Apply For Architecture Jobs Online, 25 Things To Consider When Choosing An Architecture Job Offer, Brandon Hubbard, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C. Student’s design all types of buildings, make all types of executive decisions, and never really face the harsh realities of business, codes, constructability, and the public. A career in art is not limited to being a painter of canvases which get framed and sold in a gallery. 11 Qualities of Bad Managers. Today this is certainly not the case. A short film about being an architect and my struggle to pursue a more creative life. Carefully research where you want to work. All rights reserved. Architecture is rough. By keeping keen awareness of the dark side, you can be 2 steps ahead of what many Architects encounter. Architects are friends with other … Architecture is one of the most competitive professions. Last week I gave you 10 reasons on why YOU should become an Architect. This generally takes 5-10 years out of college. Architects do quick math all day long. Most architects don’t really start to become good until later in life – I’m talking in their 50’s. Most firms do not care where you studied. By Stephani Miller U.S. News & World Report recently published its Best Careers 2009 package and listed "architect" among 13 … Click for a free download: Setting goals is extremely important in both your professional and personal life. To qualify for the career, one must be able to enjoy the processes. Architecture is not a bad career, just a little tough financially at times. I hear from people who have been in school for 8, 10, or 12 years and more. My intention is to share some of the harsh realities that many people experience. Yes, when the economy hit rock-bottom, architecture did suffer. Architecture is rough. The gene pool that is your social life will not have a lot of diversity. After enough disasters you start to become numb to them and learn to manage tense moments more effectively. Architecture is brutal and unstable, and not really worth the sacrifice required to practice it. You will actually get to go to more parties if you don’t become an Architect. The pay is not that bad, but the economic cycles can be pretty painful. But so did every other job. What is your greatest weakness? If you don't know your own pros and cons it is much more difficult to sell yourself to a potential employer. Young practitioners and graduates now have a wide array of career options which allows freedoms rarely enjoyed by previous generations. To help you with your architecture job search, I've created a mega-pack of free resources that includes architecture resumes, cover letters, and an extensive collection of application documents. Because of technology, the volume and rate of change that organizations face has increased so significantly that most are performing enterprise-wide transformation and becoming more agile. Others will take credit for your great ideas. After college can call yourself a: Designer, Architectural (fill in the blank), anything flies, as long as it is not “Architect”. BUT if this is overly important to you, then you maybe shouldn’t be an architect. Also reach out to past colleagues (most important), friends, family, fellow students and ask them what they think are your greatest attributes. Don't listen to the people that say it is a bad career choice. I will only ever promote the products and services that I trust and 100% recommend. I write this, not to be a “wet blanket”, disparage the profession, or discourage anyone from becoming an Architect. You may read my full disclosure policy for more information. Find a different part of the country or world to look for work. This will help to give you a head start on the competition and increase your chances of success. Are you doing it because you truly need the degree to continue your career path or are you just "hiding" from the job market? In fact, architecture can be more of a lifestyle than just a job or a profession. I'd say you should look at what in architecture actually makes you happy, what is something you actually enjoy doing. Some are common to any career choice, while others are unique to the profession. — you have to get something to show potential employers outside of academia. Carefully think about your choice to pursue an advanced degree in architecture or related field. There is always a lot of controversy around this topic. A Young Approach to Hiring Architecture Professionals. 10 reasons why YOU should be an Architect. Unfortunately in many situations the cards often aren’t stacked in the Architects favor. Thomas Barwick / Getty Images. But architecture is a popular career choice, so expect competition when looking for work. A Candid Guide to the Profession by Roger Lewis. This is why the licensing process exists. Figure out what you want and where you want to be in ten years. After college, Graduates just carry out the executive decisions of others and work on the production side of the firm, rather than the decision-making side. The career involves a lot of teamwork. After you finish those classes you will then go on to study how to calculate beams, floors, and columns in wood, steel, and concrete. 10 reasons on why YOU should become an Architect. Being a poor Architect is also very much a mindset. The fact is these are simply excuses. A sloppy set of drawings with errors can become an Architects worst self inflicted nightmare during construction. Instead, I’m going to talk about the characteristics of a career that an INFJ can look out for or avoid when building a career. This is a recipe for career suicide. 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